Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-05
PURE SshT.
4 Vast Basin OF 1t in the Colorado
Desert,


In TIE middle of the Colorado desert
there is q curious depression il the
earth's surface through winch the South
ern PaCihc Railroad runs. The lowest
point is $50 feet below the sec level, and
here is great body of salt, more pure
than any known TO commerce, a1d in an
abundance that may supply the world if
al other resources should be exhausted.
From point on the road called InGio the
descent is rapid 30 this place OF salt. 1t
wGS 0Gce a. inland sea, from WhiCh the
w2ters have apparently passed away by
evaporation, leaving a salt deposit that
resembles ice. Standing upon its
margin, says writer in the san
Francisco Argonaut, We look upon q
perfectly level and white crust CT salt,
some tairty OF forty miles IN len@.n by
perhaps twenty IN width. 4 trEmTGy is
aid over the crust 20 distance q more
than 6 mile, over which steam dummy
and train Of freight cars run to the mill
wGere the salt is ground. Beyond the
mill q smaller engine pushes The smaller
cars farther out upon the salt crust,
( SneTe the salt is gathered. The process
/ Ot collecting Is very simple. La5oreTs,
/ provided eaca with WneelbsrroW. Shovel
aud sdZe, 90 out upon the salt field. pick
/ the surface ~ taa Depth Of an incn or
two, esther barrow leads sud wheel them
( to the clrs. Tais salt crust varies
10 thickness; in some places it j.
4 bat q few inches above the mad and
water, and some places nearly five feet in
! thickness. Liverpool salt must be kiln
dried before being ground. Nature SENDS
this 10 the mill SO dry THAI it may be
J 81 = Lg,n H. :,
Gagged aud marked for shipment, and Il
is ready for table or dairy use. THIS cal.
is 90 per cent. pure, and IS placed upon
the market rs New Liverpool '6Is is IN
I dOubteGly ire pure3t aSit in the market.
Il is on the rising slope from this SILT
mjue, some twenty miles away, and IN
TIE very heart Of the great Colorado des-
er5, that the Southern Pacific people have
struck grtesian water. A. Il depth Of 40
teeI flow Of 1900 gallons an hour mas
been brought to the surface. THE
pore IS being pushed downward fJg lIth-
or demonstration. This discovery OF az
t&siau water hes caused the location Of
gbouc two townships Of land Whlc2 Is II
good soil, being covered with a growth #
mesquite shrubDery and weeds. At tl4
station, IGGiC, where the company had
there is growth of pepper, Locust, cot
tOnwood and palm trees, aM doug well
aG6 attaining great growth. Grapes,
wetermelOns, tomatoes, roses, gera4iums
ard morning gloEies are there seen in
h1UrisbinG condition. Grapes ana water
melons ripen in June.
The gentlemen who have located this
tropical Eden vii! experiment IN tie di-
rection Of tropical promotions. Already
they talk Of cotton, coffee ana tobacco
That it will produce better oranges than
San Bernardioo o. Riverside, they do not
doubt. San Francisco 5 to receive from
this paradise lis early watermelons, its
berries and its swces potatoes. Only g
few miles from the line OF the rO2d Is c
grove CT 1900 date palms, reaching {
great height, and bearing the Ceai, bu
very small and inferior, date. The foot
/ hills ore sSirted al along WIN these
p2lm trees. ..Iu these mountains, it i,
szid. are productive valleys well suppieC
with Wafer, bnt II sinks when iStepchc:
tie level OF the plain.